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This week at PAWS we have two handsome gentlemen, Milo and Kenny, as the pets of the week!

Milo is a eight-year-old senior boy in need of a calm, quiet, and understanding home. He is shy at first and it may take a little while for him to warm up to you. Underneath the shyness, Milo is a sweet lap dog at heart who likes to be around other dogs as long as they are calm like him. We are advising that he goes to a home with no children because they startle him. Milo has been neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, and dewormed. His adoption fee is the senior rate of $150.

Kenny is an adorable one and a half year old black and white cat. He gets along well with other cats and may do well with a calm dog. Kenny is very sweet and friendly but he has a timid and tender nature. He will need to go to a home that is quiet and does not have a lot of people or activity. He has a quiet, affectionate disposition once he feels secure. Kenny is neutered, current on vaccinations, FeLV/FIV negative and micro-chipped. His adoption fee is $100.

I get so tired of hearing that [insert color here] is the “new black.” Well guess what? Black has NEVER gone away! Unfortunately, black cats and dogs have long gotten a bad rap, which is just SILLY! After all, black is a classic. So I’m going to so, black is the new black! Here are 10 reasons why YOU should adopt a black dog or cat:

Black pets arrive ready for Halloween season — you don’t need to buy them a costume!

You can always find your black pet in the snow. Or in the green grass of the yard. Or on your floral bedspread.

A black dog/cat is a great accessory to any outfit. Seriously, what color does NOT go with black?

Black is very slimming — holding your pet will make you look extra-slender.

A black pet will match any decor. You won’t have to redecorate your house to coordinate with your pet.

Save time on date night — you won’t need the lint brush on your little black dress if you have a black dog/cat.

Luck, schmuck! Owning a black cat makes you immune to bad luck.

Think of your black pet like he or she is an onyx — a rare, glossy, beautiful precious stone.

Love knows no color! Black, white, brown, calico, brindle… your pet is going to love you just the same.

Here’s to another week of sweet pets in need of adoption! Let’s say hello to…

CHLOE!
Chloe is a one-year-old shepherd mix with a beautiful white coat. She loves to play and would be very happy if she had someone to take her on runs in the afternoon. A kind citizen found Chloe and kept her for a few weeks but was never able to reunite her with her owners. Chloe loves squeaky chew toys, so they will be an absolute must to keep around at her new home. Chloe has been spayed, vaccinated, micro-chipped, and de-wormed. Her adoption fee is $175.

GARCIA!
My name is Garcia and I am a beautiful white longhair cat with one blue and one green eye. I came to the shelter because my owner died. I came here with my best buddy Rhubarb who is already in a new home. I am 13 years old and I hope I can spend my twilight years in a loving home. I am a healthy guy, just a little more seasoned than the rest. I am very gentle and sweet. I love being brushed and I have been around other cats, dogs, and children. The shelter can be stressful enough for a cat, especially a senior. I hope someone can open their heart and home to me soon. I am calm, well-mannered, and just looking for a warm bed to sleep on and a window to get some sun. Garcia’s adoption fee is $50. With the PAWS Humane senior citizen discount of $50 for qualifying senior citizens, Garcia could go home with a new senior friend at no charge. Please come visit him and see if he may be your perfect match.

An animal shelter is one of the few places where it is not really a good thing to say the words “welcome back.” PAWS puts a lot of time and effort into their adoptions, but of course, they don’t always work out, sometimes due to the pet, but most the time due to the adopter. Of course, PAWS recognizes that returns will happen so that is why when you adopt from PAWS, you sign a form saying that if for any reason you cannot keep your pet (EDIT-rehoming is required to be done by PAWS, previously I put that the adopter could rehome themselves) then you must return it to PAWS. Because of this, these sweet babies will be able to have another chance at finding a home, unlike animals from Animal Control, who are immediately put at risk of being destroyed.

A lot of people already have preconceived notions about shelter pets, so when they are shelter pets who have been returned once or twice, people automatically assume that the pet MUST have something wrong with them, which is definitely not the case. What many people don’t realize is that adopting a pet is not just buying a new toy for your kids or having something to snuggle with. Adopting a pet should be seen as adopting a child, adopting something that is going to be a part of your family. You don’t adopt a child assuming they are going to be the best child in the world. You would assume that it will take time to add another family member into your home, just like you should assume when adopting a pet. The bottom line is, you shouldn’t adopt a pet just because you WANT one, but because you are ready to actually HAVE one and take care of one.

Here are some pets who have recently returned to PAWS and are still in need of a forever home. If you want more information on these babies or want to see the rest of the pets available at PAWS, visit their Shelter Adoptions page–

Ivan- Returned b/c owner's animal didn't like him

Milo- Returned b/c not good w/ cats

Tido- Returned twice: 1st doesn't get along w/ other animal, 2nd owner's animal didn't get along

This weeks Pets of the Week are two especially beautiful ladies, Scarlet and Dixie.

Scarlet is a small and dainty five year old female Siamese. She likes snuggling up close with a person, especially on their chest. She lived with her previous owner her whole life until recently when he passed away and she came to the shelter. She will need a quiet home with a single person or couple. Due to her living such a sheltered and quiet life, she tends to get nervous with too much activity at the shelter. She often hides under blankets and would probably enjoy sleeping in her owner’s bed. Scarlet must be an inside kitty because she is declawed and has a cataract in one eye. Scarlet is spayed, current on vaccinations, FeLV/FIV negative and micro-chipped. Her adoption fee is $100. Here is a short clip of this sweet lady giving an adoption counselor some love:

Dixie is a five year old purebred miniature pinscher. Dixie’s life up until now has not been easy or one of privilege. Dixie came from a breeder/hoarder and seems to have lived most of her life in confinement and having puppies. She is so eager for human affection and can hardly contain her excitement at being shown any kind of attention. She is not used to big, open spaces but is coming along great with her leash walking and is so eager to please. She is blossoming daily and is a joy to be around. She seems like she will bond very strongly with one person. With her timid personality, a home without children would be best for Dixie. Dixie has a few areas of thin hair from living in confined conditions and most likely sitting in her own urine. We are eager to find her a loving home where she can forget her past and an owner who will appreciate her charming personality and give her patient, calm care. Dixie is spayed, current on vaccinations, heartworm negative and micro-chipped. Her adoption fee is $250.

Stop by the shelter and say hello to these two ladies, and of course all the other PAWS pets!

Unfortunately, one big issue at PAWS is their return rate. Despite their efforts to find the perfect forever home for their pets, sometimes adoptions don’t always work out. PAWS realizes that there is always a chance of return, which is why when you adopt, you have to sign a form saying that if such a circumstance should come up, then you will promise to bring the animal back to PAWS where they can find a new home.

One thing they are working on right now is reducing the amount of returns by tackling some of the common reasons for returning. Animal behavior and unrealistic expectations are two common reasons people give when returning their pet. One way to take on these issues is by making resources available to adopters, such as how to potty train your dog or how to prevent chewing.

The idea is to make these resources available on the PAWS Humane website, but I’d like to hear from YOU to figure out what some common problems are. So if you’ve adopted a pet or brought a new pet into your home, let me know what issues you faced. Did you have issues you didn’t know how to deal with? Were you prepared with everything you needed such as a litter box, toys, etc? Was it hard to introduce your pets to each other? Please leave a comment on here with your questions and suggestions so that they can get this resource page rolling and hopefully reduce the number of unnecessary returns! 🙂

First of all, I want to congratulate Pumpkin and Cricket for being adopted today! Pumpkin had been at PAWS since October 2010, while Cricket was there since January. Congrats, sweet kitties!

It’s always great to see pets who have been at PAWS for a long time get adopted, but of course, it’s also sad that they were there that long in the first place. Here are some great dogs and cats who have been at PAWS way too long:

Velvet, @ PAWS since 8/24/10

Velvet has been at our shelter since August. That is a long time to spend in a shelter and we hope she can find the loving home she deserves. She was fostered during the holidays, she settled very well, and she was very well behaved. She used the scratching post, litter box and stayed off the counters. Velvet gets along well with other cats and tolerates most dogs. She is reserved and very well mannered. Velvet sometimes plays with toys but she prefers to find a comfortable spot and nap or receive a face and back rub. Velvet tested positive for heartworms and she is on heartworm prevention to prevent any problems from developing. Her treatment is an inexpensive once monthly tablet and the heartworms should eventually go away. If you are looking for a well-mannered cat, Velvet may be your perfect match.

Kenny, @ PAWS since 1/29/10

Kenny is an adorable black and white cat. Unfortunately, he has been in and out of PAWS twice since January of last year, all to know fault of his own. He gets along with other cats and has lived with dogs. He can be timid but opens up once he gets to know you. He loves being petted and he is very affectionate. Kenny enjoys playing and he has a gentle disposition.

Sasha, @ PAWS since 11/2/10

Like Kenny, Sasha has been adopted from PAWS before, but she has been returned due to new information regarding her behavior (she cannot be with small kids, dogs, or cats). She was originally surrendered to PAWS on 11/23 and is now back in the shelter waiting for the perfect home for her. She is a 2 year old Mini Poodle/Terrier mix who is very sweet. Not to mention she is housetrained!

Penny (Dog of the Week), @ PAWS since 12/20/10

Penny is a happy and playful 10 month old terrier mix. She keeps her room clean and is working on her housebreaking. Penny loves to go for runs and play in the playyard, so we think she would do very well in a home with either children or another playful dog. Penny has been spayed, vaccinated, microchipped and dewormed. Her adoption fee is $175.

Please check out these and all the rest of the PAWS pets on their website, here!

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Velvet has been at our shelter since August. That is a long time to spend in a shelter and we hope she can find the loving home she deserves. She was fostered during the holidays, she settled very well, and she was very well behaved. She used the scratching post, litter box and stayed off the counters. Velvet gets along well with other cats and tolerates most dogs. She is reserved and very well mannered. Velvet sometimes plays with toys but she prefers to find a comfortable spot and nap or receive a face and back rub. Velvet tested positive for heartworms and she is on heartworm prevention to prevent any problems from developing. Her treatment is an inexpensive once monthly tablet and the heartworms should eventually go away. If you are looking for a well-mannered cat, Velvet may be your perfect match.